1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a tooling system for use in conjunction with the manufacture of microwave devices and, more specifically, to the manufacture of microwave hybrid devices.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
The assembly of microwave devices typically requires a diverse set of custom tools. This is because products vary greatly in size and shape and because assembly machines have differing requirements.
In the prior art, hybrid microwave devices have generally been handled individually during fabrication. Each product was removed from a storage box, fixtured to a process machine and returned to the storage box after processing. The problems encountered in moving microwave products being fabricated in this manner were that handling damage occurred due to the fragile nature of the devices and that tooling costs were always high because each tool was generally a new and unique design. Furthermore, it was not feasible to automate material handling of microwave products through the assembly process. It is therefore apparent that there has been a need to provide tooling for use in fabrication of microwave devices which are usable for manufacture of many different parts and which can also be used in conjunction with a maximum number of processing steps to minimize removal from the fixture or tool.